Mamdani takes oath of office on Quran full of symbolism

Zohran Mamdani took office as New York City’s mayor on Jan. 1 with an oath ceremony that placed a Quran at the center of the midnight moment, according to The Associated Press. Mamdani was sworn in at midnight in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, a setting that he and supporters described as part of the historic symbolism of the transition, including the text used during the oath.

The AP reported that Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat, became mayor in that subway location and was sworn in on a Quran described as centuries old. The story said the oath is historically presented with religious texts for some administrations, but that the obligation to uphold federal, state and city constitutions does not require using a particular religious book.

Mamdani’s inauguration also marked what the AP described as multiple firsts for New York City. He became the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold the position, and the AP linked those milestones to the city’s Muslim residents. The Quran used during the subway ceremony was tied to the selection process for the heirloom book, with a scholar involved in choosing the volumes described as emphasizing that the collection reflects New York’s Muslim community.

Hiba Abid, a curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the New York Public Library, discussed how the particular Quran fits the message her institution sees in the collection. Abid said the copy is “It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” speaking about the pocket-sized manuscript that was used during the subway ceremony. The AP reported that two Qurans were planned for that midnight event: the Quran of Mamdani’s grandfather and a second pocket-sized version dating to the late 18th or early 19th century that is part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture collection.

For the subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on Jan. 1, the AP reported that Mamdani’s team planned to use both his grandfather’s and grandmother’s Qurans, though it did not provide additional details about the heirlooms. The AP further reported that Abid said the Quran’s significance lies less in luxury than in accessibility, and described how scholars estimated the manuscript’s age because it is undated and unsigned.

The story also traced scholarly context for the Quran used in the subway ceremony through New York’s Black cultural-historical collections. The AP said scholars believe the manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian who documented global contributions of people of African descent. The AP reported that scholars were unsure how Schomburg obtained the Quran, but said research reflected his interest in historical relationships between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.

Mamdani’s oath on a Quran drew commentary beyond the ceremony itself, as the AP reported a rise in Islamophobic rhetoric that coincided with his political ascent. In a speech days before the election, Mamdani told the AP he would remain visibly Muslim, saying, “I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” and, “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”

The AP said some conservative critics responded to the Quran decision, including a post on social media by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who wrote, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to coverage of Mamdani’s inauguration. The AP also reported that the Council on American-Islamic Relations designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements, and it cited an earlier parallel: in 2006, Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.

After the inauguration, the AP reported that Abid expects the Quran used in the ceremony to go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid told the AP she hopes the attention—whether supportive or critical—will encourage more people to explore the library’s collections on Islamic life in the city, including recordings of early 20th-century Armenian and Arabic music and firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Abid said the manuscript was “meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,” and she added that “Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”